At the time of the announcement of the creation of the “Guardian of Prosperity” naval coalition, under American command, it was claimed that several member countries of the European Union [UE] would take part, including France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. Since then, this list has evolved: Paris and Rome have decided to keep their forces stationed in the Red Sea under national leadership, while the Spanish government has rejected any involvement. But eventually Greece and Denmark joined this initiative and even announced the imminent deployment of ships.
To further muddy the situation, other EU countries have joined the United States in calling on the Houthi rebels to stop their attacks on commercial maritime traffic in the Red Sea. This was the case in Italy, Belgium, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.
As US and British forces conducted massive airstrikes against the Houthi military structure in Yemen on the night of January 11-12, AFP reported that the EU would consider sending a European naval force to the Red Sea to achieve this Contribution to the protection of merchant ships. It is therefore about “completing” the US-led coalition.
Fearing the economic consequences of the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, Germany has been on the maneuver from the start. “It is important that the EU can act as quickly as possible in view of the ongoing attacks,” said the Foreign Office spokesman on December 29th.
“As the EU, we are working intensively on how we can strengthen the situation in the Red Sea and contribute to stabilization. We have to decide together within the European framework. We are working hard on it,” confirmed the head of German diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock, on January 12th. “The Houthis are responsible for the consequences of their actions. “They must immediately stop their attacks on civilian ships,” she demanded.
As a reminder, the EU already has EUNAVFOR Atalanta in the region. But this naval force, currently under Spanish command, is primarily focused on anti-piracy and human trafficking missions in the Gulf of Aden. She is also responsible for protecting World Food Program ships [PAM] who provide humanitarian aid to Somalia.
In any case, the most difficult part remains determining the format and composition of this possible new European naval operation… This will be examined by the Political and Security Committee. [COPS] the EU next week.
However, Spain refuses to extend EUNAVFOR Atalanta's mandate and has already stated that it will not take part.
“We do not yet know if the European Union will carry out a new mission,” but if this is the case, “Spain will not participate in the Red Sea since it is already participating in 17 missions,” he added, explained Maragarita Robles, the Spanish Defense Minister. In reality, the reason lies in domestic political considerations, since the ruling coalition in Madrid cannot do without the contribution of Sumar, a radical left party hostile to American foreign policy.